[jdbower#CB]

I don't know that I'd call them "smart" phones, but they certainly are unique! Anyone here have a Motorola 9500 series phone for use on the Iridium Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network? I've got a 9505A myself and it comes in useful if I'm expecting to be out of service range. This can be on a boat, a trip into the wilderness, or to countries like South Korea or Japan where my old AT&T 8700 couldn't use their networks. I typically just get a prepaid SIM via Outfitter Satellite (which, sadly, expire) before I go off on a trip that needs it - which, sadly, hasn't been for a while. The cost is actually not much different than global roaming charges, between 85c and $1.76 a minute at the moment depending on how many minutes you buy. Excluding the cost of the phone itself, of course

Unlike satellite TV, LEO satellites actually orbit the Earth at a fairly rapid rate and a much lower altitude. This means that you need more satellites to cover the planet, but you don't need to transmit at high power. Originally there were to be 77 satellites (the same number as the number of electrons in an Iridium atom), but budget cuts reduced the number to 72. We need 66 satellites in working orbit at all times for full coverage, but there are always a few spares in case of failure. Apparently they're planning on updating the network in the next 5 years or so - maybe to support a satellite-enabled Blackberry

Call quality is decent, but there's a huge amount of latency (this is why they don't use satellites for most forms of real-time communication these days). It's also fun in a city environment. I was outside a hotel in South Korea talking when suddenly the signal started breaking up. I realized that the satellite I was using was probably on the other side of the hotel so I ran around back to finish off the conversation - it was easier than hoping I'd automatically switch to the next satellite on the horizon, assuming it was visible through the trees.

They support text messaging and low speed data connectivity to a laptop but not much else. The phones are monstrous (especially in the land of Korean and Japanese "swallowable" phones) and I keep mine in a small waterproof Pelican case. Sadly, mail server integration seems not to have been a priority in the design of the network and phone.

Anyone else have one of these beasts? Or anyone interested in how they work? I hardly ever use it, but it's nice to know that in case of pretty much any emergency I'll be able to use it anyplace in the world. Just keep an eye out for phone calls from country code 8816